having been a big user of these #7 bottles (during two pregnancies and during breast feeding too), i found this information eye-opening and alarming. this was in the most recent issue of sierra magazine...our just arrived, actually.
this whole article should be online soon (as of this morning, oct 28th, the new issues isn't online yet). "Hazards of Hydration - Choose your plastic water bottles carefully."by Frances Cerra WhittelseySierra Magazine, Nov/Dec 2003, p. 16, 18
basically, an accident during a study produced startling results in mice. the original study was regarding birth defects in mice...miscarriages and birth defects, which often result from aneuploidy, the loss or gain of chromosomes. the mice cages (which we made of plastic) were washed with harsh chemicals, and the number of chromosomal abnormalities, went from only 1 to 2 percent to 40 percent.
the researchers figured out the cause was bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical that mimics the hormone estrogen. the harsh chemical washing leached the chemical from the polycarbonate mouse cages after the washing.
For years, scientists have been finding that endocrine disrupters ;ole BPA can impair the reproductive organs of rats and mice, reduce sperm counts in rats, and bring about changes in tissue that resemble early-stage breast cancer, among other effects. But Nune International, maker of Nalgene bottles, maintains that its products are "safe for use with human consumables". cutes other research that found no dangerous leaching; and points to a 2002 study in which rats fed a diet containing BPA at h levels higher than those in Hunt's laboratory suffered no apparent reproductive or developmental effects.
regular wear and tear, and washing with strong detergents and/or in a dishwasher will leach the chemical. we hand wash ours (no dishwasher!), but i'm still going to stop using those for now...
- For more information see "Plastics for Kitchen Use" www.thegreenguide.com
this whole article should be online soon (as of this morning, oct 28th, the new issues isn't online yet). "Hazards of Hydration - Choose your plastic water bottles carefully."by Frances Cerra WhittelseySierra Magazine, Nov/Dec 2003, p. 16, 18
basically, an accident during a study produced startling results in mice. the original study was regarding birth defects in mice...miscarriages and birth defects, which often result from aneuploidy, the loss or gain of chromosomes. the mice cages (which we made of plastic) were washed with harsh chemicals, and the number of chromosomal abnormalities, went from only 1 to 2 percent to 40 percent.
the researchers figured out the cause was bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical that mimics the hormone estrogen. the harsh chemical washing leached the chemical from the polycarbonate mouse cages after the washing.
For years, scientists have been finding that endocrine disrupters ;ole BPA can impair the reproductive organs of rats and mice, reduce sperm counts in rats, and bring about changes in tissue that resemble early-stage breast cancer, among other effects. But Nune International, maker of Nalgene bottles, maintains that its products are "safe for use with human consumables". cutes other research that found no dangerous leaching; and points to a 2002 study in which rats fed a diet containing BPA at h levels higher than those in Hunt's laboratory suffered no apparent reproductive or developmental effects.
regular wear and tear, and washing with strong detergents and/or in a dishwasher will leach the chemical. we hand wash ours (no dishwasher!), but i'm still going to stop using those for now...
Quote:
| Most at risk, says Colborn, are people with developing endocrine systems: pregnant women and newborns, followed by young children, and women who might get pregnant. Hunt says that if she had an infant, she would switch to polypropylene (#5 PP)<, which is not known to leach harmful substances. (Other plastics that are not known to leach are #2 HDPE and #4 LDPE. "Single use" plastics made of polyethylene terephthalate [#1 PET or PETE] are not recommended for repeat use; one study found that they may break down and release the suspected carcinogen DEHA.). |
- For more information see "Plastics for Kitchen Use" www.thegreenguide.com
thanks
: But I imagine they are a safer bet than the #1 an #7, if you cannot convert completely to glass, or metal containers.
So, what I thought was a safe choice, and I also bought a five gal during the hurricane, really isn't! 
